Glenn Montgomery
Encyclopedia
Glenn Steven Montgomery (March 31, 1967 — June 28, 1998) was an American football
defensive tackle in the National Football League
.
in Harvey, Louisiana
. His brother, Sean, a member of the U.S. Junior Olympic
wrestling
team, developed problems related to schizophrenia
. To help his brother, Montgomery accepted a scholarship to Houston
, where his 12 sacks
during his 1988 senior season was one short of a team record. Concerned about the welfare of his brother, he almost left the school, but he was talked out of it by the coaches
.
The 6 feet (1.8 m), 283-pound Montgomery was drafted
by the Houston Oilers
in the fifth round of the 1989 NFL Draft
and became a starter
by 1993. Despite his lack of height for his position, Montgomery steadily grew into a defensive force throughout his seven years with Houston.
In 1996, Montgomery was traded from the Oilers to the Seattle Seahawks
.
in July 1997 and died of the disease in Dallas, Texas
on June 28, 1998. He was 31 years old.
He founded the Glenn Montgomery Foundation, which helped patients coping with the disease.
In the months before his death, Montgomery had been working with a Houston television reporter on a series about the effects of the disease. The Houston Muscle Team Dinner, held shortly after Montgomery died, was dedicated to him. The event attracted more than 450 people and raised $107,000 to benefit MDA programs throughout the Texas Gulf Coast area.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
defensive tackle in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
Football career
Montgomery grew up in a poverty-stricken area and starred at West Jefferson High SchoolWest Jefferson High School (Louisiana)
West Jefferson High School , also known as WJHS, and West Jeff is a public high school located in Harvey in unincorporated Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, just outside of New Orleans. It was founded in 1955. This is one of the schools in Jefferson Parish that offered the Laptop one to...
in Harvey, Louisiana
Harvey, Louisiana
Harvey is a census-designated place in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States. Harvey is on the West Bank of the Mississippi River, within the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. His brother, Sean, a member of the U.S. Junior Olympic
AAU Junior Olympic Games
The AAU Junior Olympic Games are the pinnacle competition held annually by the US Amateur Athletic Union.-Sports currently held:The following is a list of sports that currently take place at the Junior Olympic Games.* Aquatics - Diving and Swimming...
wrestling
Freestyle wrestling
Freestyle wrestling is a style of amateur wrestling that is practised throughout the world. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic games. It is, along with track and field, one of the oldest organized sports in history...
team, developed problems related to schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
. To help his brother, Montgomery accepted a scholarship to Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
, where his 12 sacks
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
during his 1988 senior season was one short of a team record. Concerned about the welfare of his brother, he almost left the school, but he was talked out of it by the coaches
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
.
The 6 feet (1.8 m), 283-pound Montgomery was drafted
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
by the Houston Oilers
History of the Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are the professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the then-Houston, Texas, team began play in 1960 as a...
in the fifth round of the 1989 NFL Draft
1989 NFL Draft
The 1989 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24 , 1989...
and became a starter
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
by 1993. Despite his lack of height for his position, Montgomery steadily grew into a defensive force throughout his seven years with Houston.
In 1996, Montgomery was traded from the Oilers to the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
.
Death
Montgomery was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's DiseaseAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , also referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a form of motor neuron disease caused by the degeneration of upper and lower neurons, located in the ventral horn of the spinal cord and the cortical neurons that provide their efferent input...
in July 1997 and died of the disease in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
on June 28, 1998. He was 31 years old.
He founded the Glenn Montgomery Foundation, which helped patients coping with the disease.
In the months before his death, Montgomery had been working with a Houston television reporter on a series about the effects of the disease. The Houston Muscle Team Dinner, held shortly after Montgomery died, was dedicated to him. The event attracted more than 450 people and raised $107,000 to benefit MDA programs throughout the Texas Gulf Coast area.